BE. Inspired – February Newsletter

JANUARY HIGHLIGHTS

Distaff day is one if our favorite days! The Orlando Distaff Day organizers welcome our Warmies Project™ each year. This year they donated more than 130 warm items and more than 70 items of non-perishable food that went to the Coalition for the Homeless. It was a designated “cold night” when we made the delivery and the parking lot and lobby were full of people needing help. “Warm up cold folks” is the Warmies motto, and that day we sure did! Read more: https://beorlando.wordpress.com/2018/01/07/thanks-orlando-distaff-day/

MLK Weekend was AWESOME! Thank you to our volunteers who recycled mattresses at the Mustard Seed and sorted food donations at Second Harvest Food Bank. We’re also grateful to the UU Congregation of Lake County for welcoming us to share the message of Humanism.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Pi Day is coming! Join us for an awesome tradition – members engage in math & science activities with at-risk youth at our Math, Science, & Pi(e) Fest at the Coalition for the Homeless. Recent Pew Research data shows that a major reason why kids aren’t pursuing STEM education and careers is because of the perception that the subject matter is too difficult. Volunteers at MS&P spend an afternoon doing fun activities that hopefully inspire youth to think about STEM possibilities for their futures.

FEBRUARY HUMANIST OBSERVANCES

Black History Month– From the Library of Congress: “As a Harvard-trained historian, Carter G. Woodson, like W. E. B. Du Bois before him, believed that truth could not be denied and that reason would prevail over prejudice. His hopes to raise awareness of African American’s contributions to civilization was realized when he and the organization he founded, the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH), conceived and announced Negro History Week in 1925. The event was first celebrated during a week in February 1926 that encompassed the birthdays of both Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. The response was overwhelming: Black history clubs sprang up; teachers demanded materials to instruct their pupils; and progressive whites, not simply white scholars and philanthropists, stepped forward to endorse the effort.”

2nd – Wear Red Day is the first Friday in February. Heart disease and stroke cause 1 in 3 deaths among women each year, killing approximately one woman every 80 seconds. This national campaign to wear red and raise awareness informs women about risk reduction and raises funds for research and treatment. Learn more: goredforwomen.org

7th – e Day / Euler’s Number Day– a day where people recognize the significance of the number e, which is approximately 2.71828 (so, celebrated on 2/7). Popularized in use by Leonhard Euler in the early 1700’s, it is an irrational number that represents the idea that all continually growing systems are a scaled version of a common rate. The constant e is mostly used in logarithms, exponential growth, and complex numbers.

11th – International Day of Women and Girls in Science: In order to achieve full and equal access to and participation in science for women and girls, and further achieve gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, the United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution A/RES/70/212declaring 11 February as the International Day of Women and Girls in Science.

12th – Darwin Day– February 12th – celebrates Darwin’s immense intellectual bravery, perpetual curiosity, and ravenous hunger for truth. The Central Florida Freethought Community (CFFC) is planning a special event for the Orlando area that will feature nationally known speakers and informational tables. Visit CFFC’s Meetup for more information. Learn more about Darwin Day and find a map of events: darwinday.org

14th – #OneBillionRising-Held annually on February 14th, this international solidarity against the exploitation of women is based on the staggering statistics that one in every three women will be beaten or raped during her lifetime. Learn more: onebillionrising.org Here in Central Florida, the SafeHouse of Seminole joins forces with UCF Victim Services and other organizations and task forces for a #OneBillionRising event at the University of Central Florida.

16th – Freedom of information Day– celebrates the birthday of President James Madison on March 16. Madison is known as the “Father of the Constitution” and as the foremost advocate for openness in government. He was instrumental in the drafting of the United States Constitution and was the key champion and author of the United States Bill of Rights. Individual rights and freedom of information were of high importance to Madison. The holiday is a yearly reminder of the importance of transparency in the American government and the public’s right to information.

17th – National Random Acts of Kindness Day– A day to celebrate and promote kindness!